An H&M clothing store in Sweden is being hailed by women around the world after a photo of two surprisingly curvy mannequins there were photographed and posted online.

‘More realistic proportions’

Dressed in skimpy lingerie, the mannequins displayed softer stomachs, fuller thighs and generally more realistic proportions than the traditional department store models. For comparison, most mannequins in the U.S. are between a svelte size 4 or 6—a departure from the average American woman who is a size 14.

On Tuesday, a blogger at I Am Bored posted a photo of the mannequins to Facebook and the response was overwhelming. “It’s about time reality hit…” wrote out of almost 2,500 commentators.

“Anybody saying these mannequins encourage obesity or look unhealthy, you have a seriously warped perception of what is healthy. I guarantee the “bigger” mannequin in the front there represents a perfect BMI” wrote another.

‘A step in the right direction’

Modern-day mannequins have long been critiqued for having tiny proportions. And male mannequins haven’t escaped scrutiny either. As much as the public contests these down-sized mannequins, when designers have attempted to create dolls that reflect real-life proportions they’re met with criticism, even disgust.

A recent published in the Journal of Consumer Research shows that women’s self esteem takes a nosedive when exposed to models of any size, so maybe there is no easy answer. But as long as mannequins are influencing people to buy fashion, reflecting real-life bodies is a step in the right direction.

Teleworking is becoming more and more popular nowadays. They say people can save a lot of time by not commuting into an office downtown and that this kind of lifestyle can give them higher productivity, better quality of life, flexibility in schedule, and more time for the family.

‘Presenteeism’

But what are the negative effects of teleworking? Humans, by nature, are dominated by the need for face-to-face contact and “presenteeism” — the need to be around the office. In this fast-paced life, the boundaries between work and home become increasingly vague. What psychological pressure does this impose upon us and our relationships with friends and families?

With the ever-increasing popularity of telecommuting, people find more time to work instead of more time for leisure. They see vacant hours as additional opportunity to earn more bucks. Thus, teleworkers are more prone to log 15 to 20 hours extra per week, mainly because the power of technology allows them to do so. This super-busy lifestyle tends to have significant effect on the work-life balance of a person, as well as his well-being.

‘A fine balance’

Some workaholics admit to having logged on even on holidays, just because their bosses and colleagues expect them to do so. This leads to compounded stress and lack of sleep, which in turn, would translate to negative effects on family relationships. After all, how do you spend quality time with family when you are too exhausted and are constantly in your work environment?

There is actually a fine balance between achieving the benefits of teleworking and maintaining a healthy social and physical life. Constantly working longer hours may step on our personal lives and disrupt it significantly. Still, when the right balance is hit, mobile workers can enjoy a healthy social life, feel more in control of their time and well-being, and become more efficient workers.

How do you achieve a perfect balance between work and personal life? Do you think telecommuting is bad for your well-being?